WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
spouse favored their husband or wife leav- ing active duty.
Telework has proved to be a valuable tool and a “life-changing opportunity” for employees who are military spouses or those with disabilities, according to OPM’s guide. Military spouses often struggle to maintain a career because of frequent moves, but remote work has enabled some to support their military partners and keep up with family expenses.
Ahuja, the OPM director, said at a March 9 congressional hearing, “Telework and remote work flexibilities also enhance the federal government’s ability to attract and consider a more diverse talent pool across the country, including military spouses, residents of rural areas and indi- viduals with disabilities.”
CHANGE MY MIND
Workplace flexibilities like remote work, telework and flex time ensure that employers stay competitive in a tight candidate market and put themselves in a position to attract talented professionals—who may actually reject job offers that don’t allow a work-from-home option. (Image by USAASC)
ATTRACT, RECRUIT, RETAIN Today’s military career looks a lot differ- ent than in generations past, as service members face location-based challenges like spousal unemployment, high cost of living and availability of child care. Although work opportunities for service members are now available that aren’t loca- tion-based (see “Te Army Goes Location Independent” in the Summer 2023 issue of Army AL&T) the Army still follows an outdated and arbitrary personnel system that does not accommodate the grow- ing number of dual-income households, dual-military families, women in the workplace, and married men and women serving on active duty—norms that have
changed dramatically in the last 50-plus years, alongside a hiring and recruiting system that has not.
A DOD survey of active-duty spouses, conducted by DOD’s Office of People Analytics in 2021 to quantify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on military spouses and families, showed that the percentage of spouses satisfied with the military way of life (citing reasons like unemployment, high cost of living and lack of affordable child care) has steadily declined since 2012. According to the survey, overall dissatisfaction with the military way of life increased the odds by seven and a half (nearly eight times) that a
In assessing job announcements posted on the USAJobs portal between June and October 2022, Ahuja said remote job opportunity announcements received, on average, 17 times more applica- tions than nonremote jobs, significantly more (approximately 25) military spouse applications for remote work positions compared to one or two for nonremote jobs—showing increased interest due to job portability. Te assessment also showed a higher percentage of female and minority candidates as compared with nonremote postings and a greater geographic diver- sity, with applications from candidates in 37 different states, as compared with just seven states for nonremote postings.
Private industry has kept the pace with changing family and workplace norms and offers hiring incentives like higher wages, flexible work schedules, remote work and telework arrangements, and wellness reim- bursements. Te Army, meanwhile, has retained a culture of reliance on tradi- tional time-tested approaches. Strategies
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